President Volodymyr Zelensky has stated that Ukraine is treating negotiations with Russia seriously and believes progress would be more effective if talks were conducted directly at the level of national leaders. His remarks were shared via his account on X, referencing an interview given to Reuters.

Zelensky said Ukraine is prepared for such high-level dialogue, but accused Russia of pushing for an ultimatum-style settlement. According to him, Moscow is demanding that Ukraine accept its terms, including the withdrawal of Ukrainian forces from areas in Donetsk and Luhansk currently under Kyiv’s control.

He also argued that Russian military leadership understands the scale of losses involved in attempting to seize these territories, estimating monthly casualties of tens of thousands of soldiers. Zelensky added that continued fighting could result in extremely high cumulative losses for Russia, which he framed as being tolerated due to political rather than human considerations.

The Ukrainian president further suggested that Moscow is attempting to influence international partners, particularly the United States, by promoting the narrative that Ukraine has little left to defend. Kyiv, he said, rejects this framing and continues to present its position to allies as part of ongoing diplomatic engagement.

Earlier background statements from Ukrainian officials indicated that Zelensky has expressed willingness to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin to address key disputed issues, including territorial questions and the status of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear facility. Separate meetings between Ukrainian and US representatives were also held in Florida in March, which were described as constructive in narrowing outstanding differences.

At the same time, the Kremlin has maintained that no meaningful progress has been achieved on territorial matters during negotiations, though it insists it remains open to further talks. Russian spokesperson Dmitry Peskov dismissed reports suggesting changes in Putin’s stance on a potential settlement, calling them inaccurate.

Moscow claims that territorial issues remain central and unresolved, while stressing that dialogue channels with the United States remain open and that future rounds of talks depend on coordination between the involved parties. Peskov also described earlier reporting on alleged negotiation shifts as unfounded, reiterating that Russia continues to await the conditions for the next stage of discussions.